Hope in the Bottom of the Ninth

I've been a Detroit Tigers fan all of my life and because of that, I was always aware of the legend of Ty Cobb. Today his name graces the right-center field wall of Comerica Park and a statue of him sliding sits just behind, fittingly in center-field, Cobb's position.

Like a lot of baseball fans, I've heard the stories about Cobb, mostly all bad with a sprinkling of hall of fame stats mixed in. No doubt he's a polarizing figure and to be honest, very few people ever have anything good to say about him.

Cobb spent 22 of his 24 years with the Tigers amassing more than 4,000 hits, nearly 2,000 RBI and close to 900 stolen bases. At one point, Cobb held 90 records in the major leagues and still holds several, most notably, highest career batting average (.366) and batting titles (12).

Despite being the first hall of famer ever elected to Cooperstown with an almost unanimous vote total, Cobb, though respected as a great ballplayer, is almost always remembered for a dark side, earning himself the nickname 'the meanest man in baseball'. I had heard all of this and more including the famous story that when Cobb died in 1961, only three former teammates attended his funeral.

It seems there were two sides to Cobb, a Jekyll and Hyde, warring for control. Story after story has come out exhibiting Cobb's despicable behavior.

In 1907, Cobb slapped a black groundskeeper and choked the man's wife after the man merely tried to shake Cobb's hand. A year later, Cobb battered a black laborer in Detroit after the man reprimanded Cobb for stepping in freshly laid asphalt. Cobb had to be pulled off the man.

His most notorious incident was in 1912 when a fan in New York was heckling Cobb from the stands about being part Negro. Cobb, enraged, jumped into the stands and beat the disabled man, missing a hand and three fingers from the other hand, until he was pulled off. Unsurprisingly, Cobb was ejected from the game and suspended for the incident. But surprisingly, his fellow teammates threatened to strike unless Cobb was reinstated and just 10 days later, he returned with just a $50 fine.

It's hard to dismiss the apparent bigotry in these incidents and Cobb has been long labeled as a racist. In fact the biggest racist ever in baseball. Growing up in the south, Cobb may have exhibited these traits, even as a young man. This has always been a topic of debate, was Cobb portrayed this way by biographers or was he truly what he seemed to be? There was always bad rumors about him, things like sharpening his cleats to hurt other players when sliding, which is widely considered untrue. Or murdering a man in Detroit in 1912 which has never been proven due to a lack of evidence. Still, no doubt, there seems to be truth in some of these accounts that show a man out of control, with a battle within. It's not hard to understand, considering Cobb's own father was murdered by his mother accidently after suspecting an intruder. Rather than support him, teammates hazed him during his mother's trial even though eventually, she was acquitted. Cobb would be deeply affected by his father's death, an upright man, who battled for the rights of black men and women as a Georgia state senator.

Cobb, no doubt had pain, sadness and anger coursing through his veins through his life. People hated Cobb and he hated them back.

But there's another story to Ty Cobb, one few people know or maybe, care to know.

For instance, in 1908, Cobb purchased 15 acres of land in Toccoa, GA and built or refurbished more than 100 lots in a predominately black neighborhood that he charged minimal rent to the occupants. In 1920, Cobb bought a hunting preserve in MacGruder, GA, built a home for the black caretaker, Bob Robinson, and his family. Cobb never charged the man rent and in fact, whenever Cobb hunted there, Robinson and Cobb hunted side-by-side as friends.

In 1952 when Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues, Cobb told The Sporting News, “The Negro has the right to compete in sports and who's to say they have not?”

Was Cobb a misunderstood figure or was something else at work?

I believe Cobb's heart was being worked on by the Holy Spirit. I have no doubt, Cobb had a terrible temper, was prone to violence and held bigotry in his heart as we all do, but throughout his life, there are moments when it appears he was seeking something in his life. This is reinforced by incidents later in his life.

Just months before his imminent death due to cancer, Dr. William Nesbitt, Cobb's physician, would visit the dying legend. Nesbitt knew, physically, there was nothing he could do for Cobb, but spiritually, he hoped he could lead Cobb to salvation through Jesus Christ.

“Over the years, whenever I'd visit, Cobb would ask me to read the Bible and pray with him,” recalled Nesbitt. “I recognized his spiritual hunger, evident in his attentiveness to God's word. I felt that God had given me a unique opportunity to share.”

Nesbitt, sensing that the Holy Spirit was working on Cobb's heart, asked his pastor friend, John Richardson from Atlanta, to speak to Cobb.

“On that first visit, Ty wasn't up to talking,” explained Richardson. “He asked if we'd come back later. I quickly read a passage of Scripture and prayed for his welfare. Two days later, I returned to find the Holy Spirit had been working in his heart. I explained God's plan of salvation and the need for repentance. He replied that he wished to put his complete trust in Christ. On subsequent visits, Ty was eager to talk about Jesus Christ.”

It is evident now that God had a plan for Cobb and years were spent softening his heart for this moment, late in his life. Through all the ugliness of Ty Cobb's life, God saw beauty. Cobb was given incredible talent but used it for his glory. God wanted to use an ugly situation for his glory.

The same is true for us, we are sinful beings with no hope until God extends his salvation to us, turning us into something beautiful. In a Hebrew poem, our lives are represented as a tapestry, and throughout that tapestry, God's threads are found woven in between ours. We are rarely aware of how much God is a part of our 'tapestry' until we look back and realize, with every single thread, He was right there with us. His threads and fingerprints are all over our lives when we look for them.

Cobb's life, while much maligned, should be a call to repentance for all of us. He spent 74 years on this earth and nearly left it without hope. But with time running out, Cobb finally repented of his sin and confessed his savior, Jesus Christ.

In his final days, Cobb is said to have reflected on his decision.

“If I had known in the top of the first what I now know in the bottom of the ninth, I would have had a much happier life,” he concluded.